As soon as the wooden box was opened, and with a mere mental sweep of the green jade scroll, the annotations on the jade plaque were clearly revealed. Every character carried profound significance; after carefully reading through it, although immediate comprehension might not come, it was surely not beyond reach. Han Li took both items and gave a gentle smile to the young attendant. "Since you have taken such steps, I shall not fail to uphold my word. I will immediately begin employing a secret technique to gradually sever your immortal spirit from the Xitian Ding. However, this process is expected to last for several decades—so you may not need to be overly anxious." "Of course," the attendant replied, satisfied with Han Li's assurance. With that, he flickered slightly, and his ethereal form dissolved into nothingness. Han Li then paused thoughtfully, then opened his mouth, releasing a surge of azure mist that swiftly enveloped the small tripod. Within the glow of the mist, the tripod rapidly shrank and vanished, swallowed whole by his mouth. At the same time, the Yuan婴 that had been meditating within suddenly opened its eyes. With a simple hand gesture, a small, jade-green cauldron about an inch in size floated mysteriously before it. Then, the Yuan婴 tossed the cauldron forward and pressed palms together, emitting a misty, emerald glow from its body that instantly enveloped both the cauldron and itself. The glow became hazy, rendering the interior completely indistinct. Yet Han Li remained calm, slightly increasing his speed of flight and vanished from sight at the horizon within moments. Soon afterward, various immortal realms on the human world began to see a mysterious cultivator who specialized in gathering rare artifacts and obscure techniques and spells. These items were either closely linked to spatial abilities or possessed exceptional protective power. However, this enigmatic cultivator had an exceptionally high standard, and he visited and acted upon a place only infrequently. Moreover, his movements were clean and decisive—each time he appeared, his face, posture, and attire differed, making it impossible to track or seize him, whether through forceful acquisition or by quietly bypassing protective seals. The only thing the informed cultivators knew was that this figure possessed incomparable mastery of the arts; even Yuan-ying cultivators under his command were as helpless as toddlers, offering no resistance. Fortunately, this enigmatic cultivator only took treasures or inflicted serious injuries on opponents, never harming them personally. Thus, although the sects and powers that lost their treasures and techniques expressed deep regret, they remained cautious due to his extraordinary abilities and refrained from loudly publicizing the incident or launching thorough investigations—only lamenting their bad fortune. To ordinary cultivators, this mysterious figure remained entirely unknown. Thus, year after year passed. One day, seventy years later, atop an unnamed mountain in the Tiansha Continent, the enigmatic cultivator stood on a stone outcropping, gazing steadily at two elderly figures in the sky who were glaring at him with intensity, his expression impassive. At this moment, he was a middle-aged scholar with a three-strand beard, dressed in a long black robe as dark as ink. The two elders were at the initial and mid-Stage of Yuan Ying, representing the pinnacle of existence on the Tiansha Continent. "Regardless of who you are, if you wish to be courteous, hand over the stolen Jin Shuo Rings immediately. You've managed to penetrate deep into our monastery and steal these treasures—clearly a Yuan Ying mid-stage cultivator at the very least. Yet, why do such a seemingly ungrateful thing?" said one of the elders with a sharp, stern tone. The elder couldn't help but display a faint expression of doubt. "The Golden-Flame Ring is of great use to me; even if I purchase this treasure with the stones in the bag, I'll be satisfied," said the mysterious cultivator, his voice slightly hoarse. "Nonsense! The Golden-Flame Ring is our sect's foundational treasure—no matter how many spiritual stones we offer, we won't sell it!" The elder was first startled by the quantity of stones in the bag, and upon hearing the cultivator's subsequent words, he erupted into rage. "Then, in that case, I must be at a loss. I shall not return this treasure to you," said the mysterious cultivator calmly. "Hmph. Then, friend, you may as well leave your life behind," said another elder with keen eyes, suddenly speaking in a cold, ominous tone. With a single breath, a crimson glow shot forth and swiftly reached the mysterious cultivator's head. Seeing that the cultivator had no intention of returning the treasure, this Yuan-Stage mid-level cultivator acted without hesitation. Yet, an unexpected scene unfolded. The mysterious cultivator across the way made no move to his treasures, merely extending his hand and drawing a single, empty gesture through the air. Circles of hazy, shimmering light appeared spontaneously, spiraling upward. The red glow was immediately swept by this gray light, and its luminous aura shattered, revealing its true form—a small crimson sword, a few inches long, gleaming with a sharp, cold sheen. Yet now, the sword spun continuously within the gray light, as if losing its own vitality. The elder with eagle eyes, who had launched the sword, now grew both astonished and furious—his spiritual connection to the sword had been severed. Beside him, the elder with thick brows noticed the anomaly at once, and without hesitation, roared loudly, shaking his sleeve. A square object, glowing golden, was summoned and presented. As soon as it appeared, it rapidly expanded in size, transforming into a massive golden slab several dozen feet across, and surged downward with tremendous force, pressing down like a mountain. The mysterious cultivator below merely murmured a light "Ah," then slightly raised his brow, and with the same graceful motion, slowly drew a semicircular gesture toward the heavens with his other hand. After a "puff," a thicker, gray mist surged upward and collided precisely with the golden brick. However, the mist merely curled around the surface of the brick, then dispersed as the brick's inner light faded, causing it to shrink dramatically and lose control, rolling wildly. The mysterious cultivator raised a hand again, summoning the true form of the golden brick and the crimson small sword, which trembled and then fell straight down from the sky, destined to land in the hands of the lower cultivator. Now, the elder with keen eyes grew genuinely anxious, seizing no time to think, and reached out into the void to grasp Han Li. Instantly, a large white hand materialized beneath, then clenched into a massive palm, pressing down with great force—aiming to obliterate the mysterious cultivator in one blow. Yet, the lower cultivator merely extended one hand and flicked a finger toward the sky. A flash of golden light revealed a shimmering sword aura that sliced through the air, and immediately, the glowing fist split in two, dispersing into scattered points of white light. Seeing this, the elder with keen eyes grew pale. Only then, after weighing the two treasures in his hands, did the mysterious monk turn to the two figures floating in the air and say coldly, "If we add these two items, would either of you be willing to exchange with us?" The other party had clearly shown mercy; if they had been any less courteous, they might have truly provoked a deadly confrontation. The elder with keen eyes sighed helplessly. "But the Golden Radiant Ring is our sect's most precious treasure—lost like this, how can we face the inner council?" the elder with thick brows still harbored some resentment. "What's there to be ashamed of? You and I, our powers are simply not up to par. The immortal realm has always been one of the strong swallowing the weak. In fact, the Golden Radiant Ring wasn't originally ours—it was won by our founding master from another sect. Now, if it's taken away again, we can only accept it with good grace. We should return now. We still have our bodies intact, and we must uphold the entire sect." The elder with keen eyes chuckled bitterly and then vanished into a streak of red light, moving in the opposite direction. The elder with thick brows stood motionless for a while, then finally sighed deeply and followed, transforming into a streak of light himself. High in the distant heavens, after flying for tens of thousands of miles, the mysterious cultivator suddenly halted his flight, suspending himself in midair. A crisp, crackling sound resonated within the light of his journey, and at once his figure grew an inch taller. A steady flow of azure spiritual light danced across his face, slightly blurring his features before his expression shifted, revealing the face of a plain, ordinary young man. It was none other than Han Li himself. With a simple flick of his sleeve, a golden, circular ring materialized in his hand. With a single grasp and a gentle motion, countless shimmering images unfolded before him, displaying an astonishing display of magic. "Indeed, this artifact, in terms of defensive power, should rank among the top three of the treasures I've acquired in recent years," Han Li said, smiling with satisfaction. "The time has nearly arrived. It's about time for your friend to return now. Otherwise, should the spatial node suddenly collapse, you'll regret it deeply," came a light, youthful voice from within Han Li's sleeve. "This doesn't need Tianlan's reminder—I've already been preparing to return. Over the years, though I've obtained several treasures and secret techniques, I'm not particularly satisfied with most of them. While many have considerable reputations, they often fall short in actual quality. I suspect they'll prove utterly inadequate once we enter the spatial nodes." Han Li's face suddenly darkened, and his voice grew low. "That's not quite fair. When comparing your ordinary ancient treasures from the mortal realm with items like the Eight-Spirit Ruler, they simply can't hold a candle. Still, having these treasures and techniques is better than having none. Moreover, you've been traveling across the mortal realm for years—haven't you also begun to grasp a few aspects of the teachings recorded in the Golden Hall and Jade Book? These might just prove vital in saving your life at a crucial moment." The attendant spoke calmly and matter-of-factly. "Perhaps you're right!" Han Li said nothing in particular, yet the palm hidden in his sleeve unconsciously clenched his fingers, only to gently release them at once. The child formed from the Tianlan beast naturally had no idea—over the years, his greatest achievement had not been the treasures or techniques he had gathered, nor the contents of the Jin Que Yu Shu, but something else… (First chapter!)